


Balance in Life

by TGQT



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Reconciliation, Short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-10-14 04:54:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17501966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TGQT/pseuds/TGQT
Summary: Although I love the reconciliation between Zuko and Katara, I wish it was delved into a bit more. No shipping here, sorry. Read it while you still can, that is before I become embarrassed of this and delete it like all my other work.Set during Zuko and Katara’s quest, specifically right after they interrogated the new captain of the Southern Raiders.





	Balance in Life

“Stop glancing at me and say what you have to say, Zuko.” 

Katara yelled over the wind rushing by them. They had been flying all night, and he had been shooting anxious glances at her ever since they’d confronted the new captain of the Southern Raiders.

_Must be the bloodbending _she thought. _The guy fights us for a year, and he only gets nervous after he joins us _?____

Zuko, taking his turn flying Appa through the night, didn’t look at her. Instead he stared at the full moon as he asked, “Do you lie well?”

“What’s that supposed to- why are you asking?”

“Just answer-” he stopped himself for a moment, then continued. “I have no right to say this, especially to you, but I can’t afford not to, so listen. Can you lie to Aang and make him believe you without a shred of doubt?” He turned to face her as he said it, and her eyes found his. She shook her head. “Then you only have one option. You can’t kill the guy once we find him.”

“What are you talking about? Yesterday you disagreed with Aang-”

“This isn’t about what Aang believes!” he barked, cutting her off. “You have every right in the world to kill the man. You have to realize something, though. If you kill him, Aang has to live knowing the only person he has to love broke his most important rule, and he cannot deal with that right now.”

She felt a burst of guilt, but replaced it with indignation. “How do you know what Aang can take? If you’re so concerned about him, why don’t you stop stressing him out about learning firebending? He already beats himself up about not being ready, and you constantly telling him he’s not good enough isn’t helping, believe it or not!”

“I tell him he’s not ready because he needs to stop holding himself back! He’s the only chance we have right now, and if you kill a man, however justified, he’ll be too distracted to defeat my father.” Zuko, realizing he had stopped directing Appa, grabbed the reins again. For a moment, they were silent. He broke it, saying, “I realize I’m the wrong person to be saying this, but it’s true, Katara. When I was in Ba Sing Se, the only person keeping me from stealing, the only reason I let Appa go free was because my uncle was there for me. He made a life for both of us there, no matter how many times I messed up.” He quickly looked away from Katara and barely managed to say, “And when I had to choose between him and my father, I betrayed everything he did for me.” Zuko buried his face in his hands.”When my father banished me, my uncle was what kept me going. Aang lost his entire race, and you help him keep going. You can’t stop now. Lock the guy up and kill him after the war, and I won’t say anything. But if you kill him now, you kill Aang’s chance of winning this war.”

Katara looked down, and Zuko returned his attention to flying Appa. Minutes later, Zuko felt a hand laid on his shoulder. He turned and saw Katara, smiling down on him. She whispered, hardly audibly, “You really have changed, haven’t you?” He didn’t reply, only looked up at her. She squeezed his shoulder and said, “You get some rest. I can fly Appa.”


End file.
